Drunk Driving Accidents
Drunk driving and its devastating consequences are not something new. For many decades, organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving have been raising awareness about the dangers of driving drunk or driving under the influence of drugs, helping fight for the rights of those who have lost their lives to drunk drivers, and offering support to their grieving families. Nevertheless, the problem continues to this day, claiming the lives of almost 30 people every day according to data gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Despite continuous campaigns to get people to stop drinking and driving, and even though the number of drunk driving fatalities has decreased by a third in the last thirty years, crashes caused by drunk drivers still take the lives of more than 10,000 people every year in this country alone. As if these statistics were not impactful enough, the property losses attributed to those crashes are calculated to be around $44 billion every year.
Alcohol’s Effect on Driving Abilities
When someone consumes alcohol, the functionality of their brain is reduced and their thinking becomes impaired, as do muscle coordination and reasoning. These abilities are essential when it comes to the safe operation of a vehicle.
It is also important to note that the loss of abilities needed to drive does not remain constant. On the contrary, the more alcohol that is consumed, the higher its negative effects on the driver. As alcohol enters the body, it is absorbed through the walls of the digestive system and passes on to the bloodstream, where it accumulates and compounds the effects.
To determine how much alcohol someone has consumed, it must be compared as a percentage of blood. This is referred to as blood alcohol concentration (BAC). In the state of Missouri, it’s illegal to drive a vehicle with a BAC in excess of .08. As the concentration of alcohol increases in the blood, the driver becomes more impaired, and the risk of being involved in a collision increases exponentially. During a DUI accident investigation, a breathalyzer may be used to measure the amount of blood in a driver’s breath but law enforcement often relies on urine and blood tests depending on the circumstances surrounding the accident. A DUI accident attorney can subpoena those BAC results to bolster your personal injury case.
Consequences of Drunk Driving Accidents
The entire body is subject to injuries during a drunk driving accident, but some are most vulnerable, such as:
- Legs and knees that shatter from the impact, leaving the survivors with difficulty when walking or standing up
- Whiplash in the neck, which may damage the larynx and result in eating and breathing issues down the road
- Broken ribs and cracked sternum, even while wearing seatbelts and when airbags deploy
- Spinal cord injuries that result in partial or complete paralysis
- Traumatic brain injuries that may leave victims with seizures and other types of permanent impairments
Legal Recourse For Victims of Drunk Driving Accidents
If you have suffered injuries and property loss due to a drunk driving accident, getting legal representation should be the first item on your to-do list after getting immediate medical care. In order to get the damages and compensation you deserve, your car accident lawyer at The Eslinger Law Firm will help you file a personal injury claim or, if someone you loved lost their life, a wrongful death claim. This will be the best pathway available to you to recover compensation to cover the damages and injuries you have suffered.
By obtaining legal representation at The Eslinger Law Firm you will be working with a team that will be fully dedicated to helping you with your case. If needed, medical experts and other investigators will be called upon in order to determine liability and the causing factor responsible for the accident. Schedule your initial consultation today, we work on a contingency basis and there will be no out of pocket costs for you.